Conservation
AZA is concerned about species survival and ecosystem health and therefore dedicated to making substantial positive impacts for their conservation. Accreditation standards and Board approved policies have been established to ensure this objective is acheived and often evolve to meet increasingly rigorous criteria. An abundance of educational information, planning tools, databases, funding sources, awards, reintroduction programs, and specialized conservation projects have been created to advance animal conservation initiatives and strategies. In addition, AZA cooperates with numerous conservation partners and AZA members work collaboratively within Committees, Animal Programs, and Advisory Groups to guarantee that sophisticated in situ and ex situ animal conservation programs are successful.
AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums serve as conservation centers that are concerned about ecosystem health, take responsibility for species survival, contribute to research, conservation, and education, and provide society the opportunity to develop personal connections with the animals in their care. AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums spend nearly $70 million per year on conservation and in the last five years, have funded over 3,700 conservation projects in more than 100 countries.
Conservation Commitments and Impacts
AZA and its accedited institutions make significant conservation commitments and impacts, provide a plethora of conservation tools and esources including the Annual Report on Conservation and Science Database, and develop conservation partnerships to increase member and public awareness of animal related conservation issues. These issues include species and ecosystems with higher profile concerns such as amphibians, elephants, and the ocean, to incite additional conservation action. Extensive effort is expended to save species from imminent extinction by determining the best ex situ ways to care for, reproduce, reintroduce, and re-establish in situ populations including the California condor, Wyoming toad, and black-footed ferret. Read more about Conservation Commitments and Impacts.
Conservation Funding
With its more than 200 accredited members, AZA continues to build North America's largest wildlife conservation movement. Since 1991, the AZA Conservation Endowment Fund (CEF), which supports the cooperative conservation-related scientific and educational initiatives of AZA, its members, and its collaborators, has provided almost $5 million to 280 conservation projects worldwide. Detailed information about the CEF and other potential conservation funding sources are provided. Read more about Consevation Funding.
Conservation Research
AZA believes that a commitment to scientific research, both basic and applied, is a trademark of the modern zoological park and aquarium. AZA-accredited-zoos and aquariums have the invaluable opportunity, and are expected to, conduct or facilitate research both in in-situ and ex-situ settings to advance scientific knowledge of the animals in our care and enhance the conservation of wild populations. Research investigations should have a clear scientific purpose with the expectation that they will increase our understanding of a species and may provide results which benefit the animals. Many AZA-accredited institutions incorporate superior behavioral training programs into their routine schedules to facilitate sensory, cognitive, and physiological research investigations. Read more about Conservation Research.
Reintroduction Programs
Reintroduction programs for animals raised or rehabilitated in AZA-accredited zoos or aquariums are powerful mechanisms used for stabilizing, re-establishing, or increasing in situ animal populations. AZA and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources/Species Survival Commission play key roles in advancing the science of reintroduction programs that AZA Animal Programs and its accredited institutions participate in. Numerous reference materials and tools have been developed to advance reintroduction programs. Read more about Reintroduction Programs.